What Followed After
by Arciam
Summary: This story is based on the movie and tells about what might have happened after the ending. More info inside. Wataru Mitani/Mitsuru Ashikawa
1. Strangely Acqainted

**Author's Note:** I wrote this ages ago. The only reason I didn't publish it was that I felt the story needed a bit.. more ^^ Some of you will probably think it does too, but you can also - and this I would personally prefer ^^ - regard it as completed. About as completed as the movie 'Brave Story' itself.  
Speaking of which, this is what this fanfiction is about, or rather, about what might have happened after Wataru almost began to cry with happiness upon seeing Mitsuru well and alive. Did Mitsuru remember Vision or not? How did he react to seeing Wataru again? In which direction will their strange friendship develop? Alright, so the last question isn't exactly answered in this story, but I think the ending gives you a hunch ^^ I might continue this story, but I wouldn't wait for it if I were you ^^'''  
Furthers, while I do think I made it to be clear enough, perhaps I should mention that the POV alternates between Mitsuru and Wataru.  
Alright, this should do for now. Enjoy :)

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**Brave Story - What Followed After**

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I had a most horrible nightmare tonight.

Even though I can not remember most of it, it was the sort of nightmare that clings to you hours after you have woken up, and that holds you captive of your fear for an even longer span of time. I can still feel the fright's cold grip on my insides.

Aya was dead. In the nightmare, I mean.

I do not remember why, but in itself that was terrifying.

Other things happened too, a lot of other things, but for the life of me, I can not recall any details.

I think I died too in the end.

Another most peculiar thing about my dream was that I didn't wake up immediately after my dream-self died, but there was a time of.. nothingness in between. As though I actually _was_ dead during that time, before I then awoke with a gasp.

Also, even though dreams (also horrible ones) usually don't make any special impact on me, the first thing I did was run into my sister's room to make sure she was alive. Silly, I know, but at the time, I just felt I _had_ to.

Leaving out an almost endless sigh of relief at just seeing her lying there peacefully, her tiny chest rising and falling with every breath, I stalked to her bed and hugged her, wiping my tear-stained face on her blanket. She woke up, but fortunately didn't notice I had been crying. I never want her to worry about me.

Good for me it was about time to wake her up anyway, otherwise she might have reacted a bit grumpily to this.. unusual waking-method. She _is_ a real sunshine, but never wake her without a good reason.

It's our first day at the new school today. I can't say I'm excited. I'm not nervous either, for that matter. It's always the same anyway. Different places, different faces, but the overall pattern stays the same. The bullies, the giggling geese, the flock of misfits (oxymoron intended), the loners.

I guess I am one of the latter. It's not that I don't _like_ other people or think I'm better than them, I just don't like to play their games.

Aya now, on the other hand, always really looks forward to meeting new people. So that's why she's tugging at my hand right now, urging me to walk faster down the street so she can get started making friends already. I'm sure she will. She always does. That's why I hate it everytime we have to move. We've been told this was the last time, but we'll see about that, one way or other.

We've reached the school now. I quickly scan the building before entering.

It always stays the same, no matter where you are..

I tell Aya to wait for me while I get out of my outdoor shoes, so I can help her figure out where she has to go. Sitting bent over my shoes, I hear someone talking to her.

That voice.. I really don't know why, but for some reason I come to think of my nightmare again. Strange. I had almost forgotten it, why am I remembering it now?

I look to the left and see two boys my age talking to Aya. They don't seem to have noticed me yet, so standing up, I decide to make my presence known, saying "Aya, I told you to wait for me." Aya turns to me again and gives me her cheerful "Onii-chan!", and the one of the boys, with short, brown hair, looks at me normally, a bit surprised, a bit friendly.

The other boy though.. - longish, blue-black hair, the one who had talked to Aya - now _his_ reaction is.. peculiar, to say the least.

His eyes widening, I can see many different emotions flickering through them, until they seem to settle on one and he starts looking at me as if I was the most wonderful thing he's ever seen; even tears forming in his eyes.

A bit creeped out by this unexpected sort of reaction, I slowly turn my head and look behind me to see if he doesn't mean someone else. But nobody is there.

I look back at him, and he's coming towards me, almost laughing as he calls out "Mitsuru..!"

How does he know my name? I'm new at this school..!

"Do.. Do I know you?" I ask, trying to keep my composure. Even though I'm fairly sure I've never seen him before, he does look sort of familiar.

Now this made an impact on him. His face falls, he stops in his tracks. "..Don't you?"

Inwardly I wince at how heart-broken he sounds. But why? I don't know him, why should I care?

I glance over at what seems to be this boy's friend, searching for a clue as to what's going on, but he looks just as confused as I feel. Aya is standing beside him, staring at me with wide eyes, almost expectantly.

Looking back at the boy in front of me, I figure they are all waiting for an answer.

I know that I haven't met him before, so I say "I'm not sure..?"

Wait, that wasn't what I intended to say!

Hope rises in his eyes again. Great.

"It's me, Wataru..!" he says, taking another step towards me.

Wataru... I think the name over and over again, trying hard to find it somewhere in my memory. Somehow, I just don't want to disappoint him.

Finding nothing, I sidestep around him to take Aya's hand, trying my best not to look at the boy now known as Wataru.

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaking me. Now if you will excuse me, it's our first day here, me and my sister have to check in." I say and start walking away.

"Wait! Mitsuru!" Again I wince, but I pretend to ignore him. Aya keeps looking back confusedly, making it hard for me to get ahead at all.

"But.. Vision!" Wataru tries again "And, and Aya was dead!"

I jerk to a halt, gasping at the almost _physical_ pain this sentence causes me. Flashes of my nightmare reach my mind, fragments that disappear as quickly as they come, leaving only a cold, painful feeling behind.

Aya is staring at me, sobbing softly, at the verge of crying with confusion and worry.

I turn around quickly to face the boy and shout "Stay the hell away from us, you _sick freak_!" before I gently guide Aya away, trying to soothe her all the while.

I could hear the two boys talking somewhere far behind us, the brown-haired one saying "Wow, you sure know how to make new friends, Wataru..." and Wataru replying nothing more than

"But..."


	2. Strange Solicitudes

"Wow, you sure know how to make new friends Wataru.." Katchan says blankly, at a loss for anything better to say.

I only keep staring at the two retreating figures I know to be Mitsuru and his sister Aya. "But..."

I don't get it. I mean, probably I should have known, but.. quite frankly, when I saw him there, I didn't really think.

I must admit, since I had returned to my world, I'd kind of hoped that Mitsuru had been saved too, since the final wish I voiced to the goddess of fortune was 'give the people who helped me learn my lesson a future'. And Mitsuru was the one who mainly had done that.

My hopes had been crushed when Katchan didn't even recognise Mitsuru's name, but then... Like I said, I didn't think.

Now, I am still staring at the door he has long since disappeared through, probably - no, definitely - thinking I'm a complete crackpot. I guess I totally screwed this up.

"Come on, we're gonna be late." Katchan calls out from behind me, changing his shoes. His voice is cheerful, and I think he's mostly forgotten about the incident already.

"Hm." I only reply and follow him.

* * *

I can't concentrate on what the teacher's saying. I can't focus on anything, really. Chewing on my pencil, I'm staring out of the window.

I know I have to talk to him again. Mitsuru, I mean. And find a way to make good for my intellectual black-out today.

It can't be our friendship's just over like that after everything we've been through. He _died_ in my arms, for crying out loud..!

But how could I ever make him believe me? I don't think that going to him and saying 'Hey, actually your whole family was erased when you were little so you went through a floating door into another world where you destroyed everything to revive your sister but eventually died fighting your dark self' would make me appear very credible and trustworthy. Although... Okay, so perhaps I shouldn't exactly say _that_, but maybe I can stir some hidden memory by bringing up certain parts of our adventure.

This morning, he did seem to remember me a little bit, if only for a moment.

I think I'll try and talk to him after school. At least I know where his class room is..

"Hey Wataru, what's wrong?" Katchan whispers to me. I startle a bit and turn my head to look at him, contemplating before I take the pencil out of my mouth and answer "Just thinking."

"About what?" When he receives no answer, he adds "Still about that boy from today?"

"His name is Mitsuru Ashikawa." I guess I sound irritable, but luckily, I know Katchan usually never takes that very seriously.

"Ashikawa then." he grins "You do seem to know him very well. How come I don't?"

"You wouldn't believe me either way if I told you, so I won't."

Ouch, now that got him.

Rethinking my words I decide the last thing I need right now is to chase Katchan away too. "I'm sorry.. It's just, you saw how he reacted to me. That kinda hurt.."

He laughs and says "Yeah, he pretty much thought you had a screw loose or something."

"Thanks, Katchan." I mutter sarcastically.

"No really, and the little girl was just like 'what did you just do to my brother?' and stuff, and then -" he goes on enthusiastically. I roll my eyes but leave it be. That's just the way he is.

* * *

Waiting in front of the school, I watch as the many kids pass by. I told Katchan to go without me, so here I am, on the look-out for Mitsuru.

Though now I almost overlook him thinking about what I will say to him. But only almost.

"Mitsuru!" I call out as I run towards him. He turns around, looks at me, and immediately tries to ignore me again.


	3. Insistent Stranger

"Mitsuru!" I hear someone call.

In natural reaction to my name, I turn around - and see that boy, Wataru, of all people. I hurry to look away again, not wanting him to even talk to me at all ever again.

It had taken a lot of effort to calm Aya down again. I mean, how do you explain to a little girl why some complete stranger says something about her being dead? Especially when you don't know the answer yourself?

All day today I've found my thoughts wandering back to this boy. And, strangely enough, my nightmare too. It's almost like there is some sort of connection there, but the very thought is ridiculous.

"Hey, Mitsuru." He has caught up with me. I keep walking.

"Look, I'm really sorry for what happened this morning, but I just want to talk to you."

I stop, sigh and turn to face him.

"What's your name?"

"Wataru Mitani."

"Okay, _Mitani_, I don't know what you want from me and how you even know me, but can't you just leave me and my sister be?"

"But Mits- Ashikawa.. I..." he looks at the ground, obviously trying to find something to say. He's lucky I am polite enough to at least see if the next thing he says is anything meaningful.

"Where is Aya?"

Okay, then not. I resume walking.

"Our aunt picked her up after her school day was over. Don't you have to go home now?" I ask, hoping to finally get rid of him.

"No, I live with my mother and she's at work, so no one's waiting for me."

I scowl at that.

"Can I walk you home?" Mitani asks.

"If I say 'no', would that actually get you to leave?"

He doesn't answer. I take that as a 'no'.

After some time, he starts again "I really don't want to get on your nerves," - I snort - "but you have to believe me when I say I never meant to freak you or Aya out like that. I just.. didn't think before speaking, that's all. Don't you think you could give me another chance..?"

Stopping again, I look at him and see the sincerity in his eyes. Once more, I am reminded of my nightmare, but I push it aside for now.

"Why do you even _want_ me to 'give you a chance' so badly? What do you want from me?"

"Only for you to talk to me without telling me to go every two minutes..." he answers a bit uneasily, scratching at the back of his head. I breathe deeply, bringing a hand up to massage the bridge of my nose.

"Alright, let me rephrase. How do you even know who I am?"

He's actually _fidgeting_ now. "Uhm, yeah.. So.. even at the risk of you thinking I'm even more of a lunatic than you already think I am.. I met.. you in another world..."

"Another world." I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Well, actually no, I did meet you in this world, but it's the other world we spent the most time together in. I-I mean.." by now, even a blush has accompanied his agitation as he babbles on about some giant white door and travellers, the 'goddess of fortune' and gemstones.

Of course, nothing of what he says makes any sense, but even so, he just looks so utterly helpless that I really can't help but chuckle in amusement. This chuckle grows more insistent, and now I'm actually laughing softly.

Apparently he didn't expect this, so confused, he stops his explanations and asks "What's so funny..?"

I try my best to suppress the laughter, saying "You're right, you _are_ a lunatic.", an amused grin on my face.

"Hey, I'm not, I'm.." he replies indignantly but trails off, conducing only to widen my grin.

I have absolutely no idea why, but I think I kinda like this lunatic.

The moments pass by as we are standing here in silence.

Smiling genuinely, I eventually say "Hey, I think there is a park somewhere nearby. If you want to talk to me, we might as well talk there."

A christmas tree couldn't light up more than his face does now.

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**Author's Note:** What? That's it ^^ But you can't tell me that this is more of an open ending than in the movie, okay? xD Hope you liked this nice ficlet about them :)


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